Who Do We Choose To Be? by Margaret Wheatley

Creating an island of sanity for the times ahead

The Presidential Election of 2024 is a few days away. There is a lot riding on this election, but I think it has less to do with what candidate gets elected than it has to do with what our choice of candidates says about us. We put our hopes on politicians, but no politician can stop the natural emergence of what’s to come. The wars. The economic collapse. The pandemics. The environmental disasters. All of these crises have been building up over the years under both Democrats and Republicans. The resolution of these crises will not happen with political bargains and convenient half-measures that allow us to continue as we have been. How we have been behaving is the actual cause of our current predicament. To emerge from the upcoming crises, we must learn and adapt new ways of being and doing. (For example, buying a few electric cars will not resolve the environmental crisis; rather, we must adopt a fundamentally different attitude toward the earth.)

Why Read This Book? Within a few years, we will realize that are at an existential crossroads. We will no longer be under the illusion that everything will be fine as long as we elect the right person into office. We will have to grow up and face reality head-on. The reality is that a major transition will soon come to the human race. Many things that we have gotten comfortable with as a part of normal life will end, and there will be fear, confusion, and crises. For those willing to face this reality and take responsibility for the care of others during this transition, this book is for you. The author calls these people: warriors of the human spirit.

We can’t change this world, but we can change ourselves so that we can be of service to this world.” ~ Margaret J. Wheatley

Idea 1: The Fate of Empires. We may think we are in unique times, but we are going through something cyclical; what we are going through has happened before. Although collapse is unthinkable to us, we’ve only been alive for less than a century, and nothing like this has happened in anyone’s lifetime. Civilizations rise and fall; it’s a process that plays out over hundreds of years. This one is no different. Consider the rise and fall of the Persian Empire, Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, and the Chinese dynasties. The book tells the story of the previous empires and how they followed a predictable pattern of rise and fall. The process goes through six ages, cited by the book from an essay by the British scholar, John Glubb:

1. The Age of Pioneers: inspired leader(s) enter the scene
2. The Age of Conquest: successful wars expand the reach of the empire
3. The Age of Commerce: later generations focus not on war but commerce
4. The Age of Affluence: empire becomes rich and focused on money
5. The Age of Intellect: free thinking and individual expression flourishes
6. The Age of Decadence: entitlement, celebrity-culture, complacency, moral decay leads to decline and fall

You see the parallels to our current (global) empire. We are not unique and are subject to the cycles of history and human civilization.

Those who direct the affairs of a mature civilization are engaged in a war against reality that they cannot win, because a series of insidious transformations had rendered the society dysfunctional and ungovernable. ~ William Ophuls

Idea 2: Individualism and Decadence. We live in an age of individualism and narcissism. Everyone can now go on social media, create an interesting profile, post content about oneself, and accumulate “likes.” People assert their personal freedoms but bear no collective responsibility to the community or one another. The institutions that used to promote ethical and civic behavior are diminished and co-opted. One of our former presidents and current candidate is a con man and a former reality TV show host.

Cultures focused on popularity have no depth or resilience. They are superficial and ephemeral: tastes change; fashions come and go; fads rise and fall. ~Margaret Wheatley

What has all this ‘freedom’ from hyper-individualism gotten us? Anxiety, depression, addiction, rage, and suicide. The truth is that most people can’t handle real freedom, which requires maturity and responsibility. Most people actually need a healthy dose of rules and boundaries. These are much diminished today, and so most people are ruined by their freedom.

We could have been anything we wanted, yet our free-floating individualism has taken us far from community, contribution or connection, the very things that truly give life meaning and purpose.
~ Margaret J. Wheatley

Idea 3: Leadership and Creating Islands of Sanity. Collectively, we are living in an out-of-control state. This will not go on, and it will be ending, soon. So what shall we do? Can we prevent what is to come (akin to arresting the fall of the Roman Empire)? No. The world needs to change; this change represents not only an ending but also a beginning of something new. We will need to go through difficult experiences as a human race to learn our lessons and continue our path of development. We will learn lessons such as how to live in harmony with the earth, how to make money responsibly, and how to come together as a world community. When we have learned these lessons, what is to come will be akin to a second Renaissance.

There is a new world to be created, but first, the old world must be left behind. This process of leaving is painful for all, but for those with moral courage and strength, we must tend to the pain of the people around us. The leaders during this time are people who can demonstrate courage and compassion to create ‘islands of sanity’ that serve as a refuge from the chaos. We are called upon, during these times, to serve others with care and kindness and be warriors of the human spirit.

Focus on serving others. … No matter what is going on around us, we can attend to the people in front of us, to the issues confronting us and there, we offer what we can. We can offer insight and compassion. We can be present. We can stay and not flee. We can be exemplars of the best human qualities. That is a life well lived, even if we didn’t save the world.
~ Margaret J. Wheatley